TITLE: Chapter 16 Making Lies

AUTHOR: new_raven

PAIRING: House/Chris

RATING: R-ish

WARNINGS: None

SUMMARY:

DISCLAIMER: House and his pretty friends don't belong to me.

It was raining hard and Chris stood under the diner's awning chain smoking. House was half an hour late picking her up and not answering his phone. She tossed the butt into a puddle that used to be a flower bed and checked the time on her phone as he pulled up in front of her. He'd pulled in the wrong way, so that his door faced her and she had to walk around the car in the rain to get in.

"You're late." She said.

"You're wet."

"You could have called."

"You could have waited inside."

"I need to go by my house."

"It can't wait?"

"No. I need to check the mail."

"Your mail is forwarded. Whose mail are we going to check?"

"Apparently I'm not getting all my mail."

She left it at that. House paid attention to the road and Chris stewed. At the house she jerked out of the car and up the walk. She sifted through the junk in the mail box a few times and then stuffed it back inside. She got back in the car, sighed, and stared out the window away from her old home.

"What was that all about?" House pressed.

"I missed an important call today."

"They didn't leave a number?"

"It was a phone interview. I called back and talked them into rescheduling, but it doesn't look good."

"I didn't know you were still looking for a job."

"It's not a job."

"School? Country club?"

"The Peace Corps, not that it matters now."

"You want to join the Peace Corp?"

"I applied when my mom was still at Princeton Plainsboro. I was using one of the café computers and just thought 'why the hell not?' I had no reason to stay here. I was only stalking you at that point."

"I knew it!" House laughed.

"It worked." She winked at him and shrugged. "I guess it doesn't matter. I'm not really qualified anyways. I'm shocked that they even considered me."

"You want to get a drink?"

"Desperately."

"Benigan's?" House grinned.

"Wherever you normally go is fine."

"You've already vetoed strip clubs."

"Just find a damn bar." She laughed.

He pulled into a little dive as the rain slowed. They got out and he led her to a dimly lit table near the glaring digital jukebox. A pretty middle aged woman named Dianne wearing too much makeup and perfume came to take their order.

"What do you make with Blue Curacao?" House asked her. She pointed to a few items on the drink menu. "She'll have the Tiki Tea without the juice."

Waitress looked from him to Chris. "Do you want that as a drink or a shot?"

Chris looked up at House to see if he intended to answer for her too. This really seemed to upset the Dianne. "Uh the drink I guess."

"For you?" The waitress asked House.

"Do you have Killian's on tap?"

"Yes." She nodded and flipped the menu onto the table and pointed to the list of beers.

"Then that's what I'll have."

Chris smiled as the waitress left and whispered. "I think she hates you. Is she a former patient?"

"Ex girlfriend."

"You probably shouldn't drink that beer then."

"Why the Peace Corps?"

"It's a two year vacation from my life, all expenses paid, and they give you money when you get done. They even provide health insurance, and dental, and eye. I haven't had my eyes checked since middle school."

"It's not actually a vacation. They expect you to work."

"I'm always working. Why not do it somewhere with a view? I don't know. I thought it would be cool. I might make a difference, change a life, or save a life."

"You'd be alone in a foreign country."

"I was alone in this country." She stopped. They both focused on the word 'was' as the waitress set a froth dripping beer in front of House and bright blue drink in front of Chris. "Thank you." Chris said.

"You're welcome" House replied. Both women shot him a dirty look.

Chris inspected the drink, smiled, and took a sip through the red swizzle stick. "It's like a snow cone. That's really cute."

House sat up proudly and took a drink of his beer.

"If you'd asked me last year the chances of me getting out of Jersey I would have laughed and said 'only if the cops were chasing me'. I can't believe I was this close and the post office screwed me up."

"They rescheduled the interview."

"I got the distinct impression that nobody misses their interview and actually gets accepted. We'll see. They were desperate enough to consider a candy striper." She sighed and finished the drink.

"You might want to pace yourself, unless you want snow cones to go the way of the melon ball."

She grimaced. "Why would you say that?"

"To see if your face would stick that way."

"I have to pee. I'll have another if she comes back."

House nodded and Chris slid out of the booth and paused to get her bearings as soon as her feet hit the floor. When she returned there was a glass of water and another Tiki Tea on the table. She held the side of the booth as she inched into the seat.

"Those are really strong." She told him.

"You don't have to drink it."

"Oh I'm gonna drink it." She pulled the glass towards her. "This is the last one though. I don't want to puke."

"Hydrate." He looked at the water.

"Yeah, yeah. Why aren't you drunk yet?"

"Someone has to drive. Wilson's at a conference."

Chris laughed a little louder than usual. "Wilson's cool. You'd be lost without him."

"I'd manage."

"Looost!" She stretched the word into a sentence.

"I'm cutting you off."

"You can't cut me off. I already cut me off." She paused and wrinkled her brow. "Did that sound dirty." She laughed again and her cheeks flushed bright pink.

House laughed at her. "I think it's time to take you home."

Chris giggled. "The waitress was right. You're trying to take advantage of me."

"Is it working?"

"Fo shizzle my Hizzle." She delivered with an almost straight face.

House paid for the drink and listened to her chatter as he drove home. As soon as they were inside he turned and pinned her against the door with a deep kiss. She let him slip her shirt off. They made it a few steps towards the bedroom before she pressed him against the couch. Her lips kissed his as her hands impatiently removed his belt.

They continued through the apartment and down the hall taking turns being ravaged and undressed and leaving a trail of clothing behind them. She was wearing red lacey panties and one white ankle sock when they reached the bedroom.

He pushed her against the doorframe and held her hands above her head on both sides of the wall. He pulled away and she stretched on her tip toes to keep his lips on hers. He gave her a few more teasing kisses and grinned down at her.

"Are you in love with me?"

"What?" She froze. This was not the type of pillow talk she was looking for.

"You heard me." He was smiling.

"Did you get me drunk to ask me that?" She pulled her hands free and crossed them in front of her.

"I got you a drink because you were upset. You're drunk because you're a light weight." He kissed her cheek and pressed his body into hers.

"Then why…" She swallowed and leaned into his lips on her neck. "Are you in love with me?"

He looked at her. "I'm not drunk."

She huffed. "Well I'm not saying it first."

House laughed and pulled her towards the bed. "But you're not denying it."

"Shut up and take your pants off." She hopped onto the bed, pulled off her sock, and threw it at him

She didn't recognize the number, but she was pretty sure it was a New York area code. She tried to stifle her hope. They'd said they would call within the week, and that was almost a month ago. This was probably just a telemarketer. All of this passed through her mind before she answered on the second ring.

"Hello."

"May I speak to Christ-allen Ramirez?"

"This is Chris."

"Hello this is Sandra with the Peace Corps New York recruitment office."

Chris couldn't speak.

"Hello?"

"Yes. Hello." Chris stammered.

After that she mostly listened and paced the apartment, nodding her head even though no one could see her. They were sorry for the short notice, but if she was still available they'd like her to come in for a final interview in New York. There was a group orientation beginning in one week and they would like for her to be a part of it.

They had received a glowing recommendation from the administrator of the hospital where she volunteered. It explained some of her recent circumstances and how serious she was about joining the program. That and an "increased demand for volunteers at this time" had led them to reconsider her application.

Chris agreed a few more times, wrote down several dates and times, and gave them her current address again. She wasn't aware of her heart racing until she hung up the phone. She ran a trembling finger across the keys of the piano and took a deep breath. In her head she began compiling a list of everything she had to do before she left, but carefully avoided the thought of telling House.

She opened the phonebook and dialed the number on the first "We buy ugly houses" add that she saw. Then she called a storage facility, her mother's lawyers, and Rachel. When House got home she was patting a large steak dry with a paper towel. The minute she heard his key in the door she knew she had no intention of telling him. He'd figure it out. He made a comment on how well she rubbed his meat and pulled two beers out of the fridge.

"This one's mine." She informed him.

"I guess you'd be even better with it." He opened the bottles and set one next to the cutting board she was working on.

"Thanks." She moved to the sink and pushed the lever up with her elbow to wash her hands.

House pulled a brochure from his jacket and handed it to her when her hands were dry.

"What's this?"

"Bed and Breakfast, actually it's just a brochure."

"You never struck the as th type."

He pulled out another brochure with a cartoon jeep driving up a cliff completely vertical. "They rent jeeps and ATV's for mudding on the back of the property."

"That sounds more like it."

"I got the most expensive room in the place. It's not the Ritz, but there's a fireplace and a heart shaped Jacuzzi."

"They actually make those?" She took a drink of her beer.

House opened the pamphlet to show her a picture of an actual heart shaped Jacuzzi. "It makes sense. You can achieve twice as many positions in that as you would in a regular round tub."

Her smile was real when he said it, but it took all her strength to maintain it when she suddenly remembered she couldn't go. She turned her attention to the asparagus. "When?"

"Three weeks from Friday. That gives you enough time to get off right."

"It would, but I've got midterms that week."

"Reservation's for the weekend."

"That's what I meant. I'll need to study that weekend." She recovered without a beat lost. "Maybe another time."

"I can push it back to the next weekend."

Damn. She couldn't think of a way out of that. She started to agree, just to let him make the reservation and hope that he could get a refund later, but she made the mistake of looking him in the eye. "No, let's do it now, this week. We could go tonight."

House knew as soon as she said it. He knew she was leaving and that she didn't mean to tell him. He knew why. He knew he didn't want her to go and that he couldn't offer her any reason to stay. "What about work? School?"

"One class isn't a big deal. Leon was asking for more hours today and I'm off Wednesday and Thursday anyways."

He nodded. "I'll see what they have open." He didn't know why he didn't argue.

She could hear him talking while she finished her beer and their dinner. She put two pieces of asparagus next to his streak and mashed potatoes even though she knew he wouldn't eat them. She set the plates on the coffee table and sat next to him.

"Well?"

"They're booked up tomorrow, but we're set for Wednesday and Thursday. And the weeknight rates are lower so we have a credit towards the Jeep rental."

"Perfect." She smiled and her eyes glistened a little more than usual as she reached for her plate.

He wanted to question her. When was she leaving? When was she planning on telling him? Had she even considered staying there with him? Instead he pushed the asparagus away from his steak as if it might somehow contaminate it.

They ate. She washed the dishes. They made love. She was surprised how easy it was to pretend everything was normal. He wasn't surprised at all.

She barely slept that night. Ticking off her to do list in her mind she tossed and turned and watched the clock. She tried to imagine where she would go, what she would see, who she would meet. It seemed like every time she worked up the appropriate level of excitement House would shift in his sleep and she would crash again. This was the best thing that could ever have happened to her. Why was she letting him make it so sad?

In the early morning hours she gave up being reasonable or rational and let herself watch him sleep. She gave no excuse or pretense when he woke and caught her staring at him. She held his gaze and offered a weak smile. He lifted his arm, inviting her to burrow into him and have it wrapped round her shoulders. She did and hid her face against his chest.

They lay still like that so long that if not for her shallow breaths and rigid muscles he might have thought she'd fallen asleep. He stroked her hair and pretended to doze. When she finally looked up at him, he braced himself for words he didn't want to hear. Instead she kissed him.

It was a slow soft kiss, as if the weight of words they hadn't said were holding her back. In truth she was focusing on every sensation. She meant to memorize him, from the smell of his skin to the scrape of his stubble and the pressure of his morning glory against her thigh. The taste of his throat was saltier than his shoulders and chest. He tensed just little when her kiss tickled his stomach. The low guttural sound he made when she took him in her mouth sent such a shock through her that she knew she'd never forget it.

After sharing a shower and breakfast he left for work and she went to meet the buyers of ugly houses. They inspected the house and made an offer that was about thirty thousand less than she knew the house was worth even if it was a piece of crap. She told them that. They offered another five. She pointed out the proximity to the bus route, college, and hospital before accepted another ten. The sale was 'as is' with the condition that the paperwork had to be final that day and the check had to clear before she left town. She didn't mention that she had no intention of moving any of the furniture or cleaning anything at all. She figured the meth chef that moved in next wouldn't care that much.

She packed a few boxes of sentimental crap. She didn't really want most of it, but she knew she probably would someday. She took a few trunk loads of clothes and household items to the local shelter and dropped a sack of food on a neighbor's porch. She didn't know the elderly man that lived there, but she'd seen the meals on wheels truck stop there a few times.

The day was gone by the time she withdrew from her classes, talked with the financial aid office, and found a storage place she trusted to still be open in three years. House was there at the piano when she got home. He didn't ask her where she'd been. He knew he was supposed to think she was working even though his car hadn't been parked at the diner.

They made love on the piano bench before dinner and then again before bed. Even the most trivial conversation felt like a rouse, but being naked and sweaty seemed like a suitable alternative to being honest. Moans and cries of pleasure were the only words that didn't sound like lies. So they moaned instead of lying.